CJ opens sixth Bibigo store in China

CJ Foodville opened an outlet of its Korean dining franchise restaurant Bibigo in Wangjing, north of Beijing, in a bid to tap deeper into the Chinese market, the company said Monday.

The newly launched Bibigo store is the sixth restaurant in Beijing.

The store is nestled at Wangjing SOHO, which consists of three mixed-use office and commercial buildings.

“We expect that Bibigo’s brand awareness will increase with the new store as the Wangjing area is morphing into Beijing’s new international business district,” a CJ Foodville official said.

Prior to the Bibigo store’s launch, the country’s largest restaurant franchise opened its flagship bakery Tous Les Jours in the same building to create synergy between the two brands.

According to the official, the food franchise arm of CJ Group also plans to open a CJ Foodville research and development center and an academy in Wangjing SOHO in July where its employees can develop new menus and take training programs.

The restaurant specializing in bibimbap, a mixed vegetable and rice dish, entered Beijing in 2010 and established its foothold as a premium Korean food brand.

“We are preparing to open our first store in Shanghai this year as part of plans to expand the business into other Chinese regions,” the official said.

Currently, CJ Foodville runs 95 outlets including Bibigo, Tous Les Jours, Twosome Coffee and family restaurant chain VIPS. 

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)